The visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines is of extraordinary importance and Filipinos are understandably expecting His Holiness with great excitement.
Being a proud Roman, I myself await anxiously the arrival of the Pope from “my hometown.” In this context, I note daily that many friends of mine here tend to associate this historical visit with my own country, revealing an evident perception of close proximity – if not…identity – between Italy and the Holy See.
That is not surprising. The Vatican is based in the very heart of Rome. Filipinos – who visit Italy in growing numbers –mostly make it their main destination. And of course Italians, like Filipinos, are by large majority Roman Catholics.
Italy and the Holy See have always had very close and intense relations for obvious historical and spiritual reasons. Almost all the Popes that over the centuries ascended to Peter’s throne were Italians. Also, the Catholic Church has been a major factor in the history of our country, playing a key role in the lives, spirituality and even political passions of the Italian people. In fact the very unification of Italy, forged through the annexation of several kingdoms and states, had to deal with the Pontifical States ruled by the Pope. The new Kingdom of Italy would have been meaningless without those lands, which occupied a large part of the central Italian peninsula, and without their capital, Rome.
But the inclusion of the Papal States into the new Italy was painful and not easy. When the Italian troops led by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia entered in Rome in 1870, Pope Pius IX refused to recognize the loss of his territories and the demise of his temporal power and declared himself a prisoner in the Vatican. It was only in 1929 that the Lateran Treaty (reviewed in 1984) between Italy and the Holy See closed that historical controversy providing mutual recognition.
Thus the State of Vatican City was born. A tiny, little territory which nevertheless projects enormous moral and political influence all over the globe, and is inspiration and guide to over one billion Catholics worldwide.
For us Italians, and particularly for us Romans, having the Vatican as part of our city is a great responsibility but also a blessing and a pride. It is part of our life.
Saint Peter Square, where the Vatican “meets” the city, is a place of gathering and prayer, but also a beautiful area where families spend a day out enjoying art and history. The magnificent colonnades by Gian Lorenzo Bernini span in a large semicircle embracing the visitor in a way that nobody – no matter what his/her faith – feels excluded. That marvelous, imposing Saint Peter’s Basilica dome designed by Michelangelo, towering over the old city, symbolizes eternity, peace, protection. The Sunday benediction of the Pope at noon’s Angelus from that famous window, and the answer of the crowd “Viva il Papa!” is not only a rite cherished by devout Catholics, but part of the very essence of our Roman traditions. And how can I forget when, as a child, my parents would take me after Christmas Eve dinner to the Basilica, to join the crowd at the Midnight Mass celebrated by the Holy Father? Magic moments indeed.
When “the Pope from Rome” will pass through the streets of Manila and will interact with the crowds in Luneta, in MOA, in Tacloban and other venues, I am sure our Filipino friends will experience these very same, high feelings that to us seem so familiar.
I have no doubt that their devotion will be fulfilled and their hearts will bear forever the memories of an unforgettable emotional and spiritual experience.
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(Massimo Roscigno is the Ambassador of Italy.)